By: Brendan Howe

KINGSTON - It was the second meeting of the season between the Ocean State Waves and the Bay Sox on Thursday night, manager Chris Cade handed the ball to 6’7 RHP Buddy Hayward (Harvard) to try and propel New Bedford to their fifth win of 2018.

For a while, it appeared that he would.

Hayward retired the side in order in each of the first two innings before the waves were finally able to send the fourth batter to the plate in the bottom of the third. Both hurlers, Hayward and Waves’ Vito Megese were able to keep the game scoreless before Bay Sox catcher Robert Emery (San Francisco) launched a 0-1 fastball over the batters eye in dead center for his second homer of the season, giving New Bedford a 2-0 lead.

Hayward would continue to look strong into the seventh, still clinging to a 2-1 lead, retiring Cullen Smith for out number one before surrendering a walk to Ryan Ward; but was able to strike out Casey Dana for the second out. That’s when manager Chris Cabe would pull the plug on Hayward’s outing, who went 5.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, BB, 4 K, and turn to LHP Sam Henrie (Southern New Hampshire) to keep the lead intact.

But Henrie struggled to find his command, giving up back to back walks to Michael Turner and Grant English to load the bases. Then, in stepped Garrett Hodges who saw just two pitches from Henrie, and sent the 1-0 flying deep into right-center and over the wall for the two-out grand slam. That would put Ocean State up 5-2 and they did not look back.

However, New Bedford was able to respond in the bottom half of the inning, as Jack Winkler (San Francisco) was able to send a no-doubter way out of Old Mountain Field to cut the lead to 5-3. That score would stay the same until the bottom of the ninth, where the Bay Sox would try to rally one last time.

Winkler would reach on a hit-by-pitch, and pinch-hitter Christian Aybar (New England) would follow that up with a walk. Ryan Markey (St Johns) was also able to work a walk, so the Bay Sox had the bases loaded with still nobody out. That would prompt Ocean State to bring in Graham Seitz, who last time these two squads met would give up the tying and go-ahead runs that allowed the Bay Sox to win in extras. This time around, he entered into a very similar situation with his team in the lead 5-3.

Seitz would fire a wild pitch to the backstop that would allow Winkler to score from third and cut the lead to one. But Seitz would buckle down from there as he got Jacob Yish (Boston College) to strike out swinging, Elijah Brown (Sacred Heart) to ground out to short, and Chandler Debrosse (Central Connecticut St.) to pop out to first base to end the game.

The Bay Sox fall to 4-3 and look to rebound back at home vs. Winnipesaukee tomorrow night.